Restaurante La Rioja, Catemaco
28 Diciembre 2009
Catemaco Diario
Periodicos, blogs, y fuentes de noticias de Catemaco y Los Tuxtlas
El restaurante del Hotel Catemaco recientemente contrató a un chef mexicano profesional y renovó la  marca y
el decoro de su restaurante a "La Rioja", y ahora ofrece cocina española.

Conceptualmente, el restaurante es una adición muy bienvenida a la selección de sabores escasos en
Catemaco.

En nuestra reciente visita quedamos gratamente sorprendidos por la calidad de la comida servida, y así como
sorprendido de que el hotel ha conservado su personal y gestión anterior inadecuados.

Entramos a la 1:30 de la tarde, eligimos estar en el patio, lo que permite fumar, y se ofreció rápidamente menús
de desayuno. 5 minutos más tarde recibimos el menú completo, que está repleto de opciones nunca antes
vistas en Catemaco, ofreciendo una variedad de ensaladas atípicos, y platos principales desde los guisos de
conejo hasta la trucha frita y la consuetudinaria Paella Valenciana.

Mi pareja pidió un suculento filete fresco y jugoso Lomo de Robalo, servido con papas gratinadas (120 pesos).
Pedí el  Solomillo a las tres pimientas y recibí un excelente filete de buen tamaño, cocinado a medio sin
preguntarme en que termino lo queria, y servido con tomates cocidos secos y mantecosas verduras hervidas al
diente (110 pesos). Lamentablemente, la presentación de los alimentos sobre una mesa cubierta con azulejos
desnudo sin manteles  con cubiertos envueltos en una servilleta de papel, no hace justicia a los precios. (Para
ser justo,  más tarde las mesas se preparaban con ajustes de la tabla correcta).  

El nombre de La Rioja proviene de la región vinícola del norte de España, y puede provenir de la lengua vasca
que significa "tierra de pan", que obviamente nunca incluia las tortillas que se nos servieron en la comida.

Aunque el menú ofrece varios tentadores postres,  tuvimos que conformarnos con un flan de queso delicioso,
porque los otros postres aún no se habían preparado.

El almuerzo terminó con una nota amarga. Como es tan frecuente en el hotel, la maquina de tarjetas de crédito
mal funcionó  y tuvimos que luchar por el efectivo para pagar la cuenta de 400 pesos.

El restaurante está situado en la planta baja del Hotel Catemaco, justo enfrente de la plaza central. El horario es
de 7 a 11. Se ofrece desayuno común aburrido, incluyendo platos de huevo a partir de 70 pesos. También
ofresce una buena selección de vinos, pero estupidamente no permite comprar solo una copa.

Mis 5 estrellas, basado en restaurantes de mi experiencia de Catemaco, no la Guía Michelin:
3+ estrellas para la alimentación, 1 estrella para el servicio, y 1 para el desayuno,
(que lo convierte en uno de los 3 mejores en Catemaco).

The restaurant of the Hotel Catemaco
recently hired a professional Mexican chef
and re branded its lobby and patio
restaurant as La Rioja, and now offers
Spanish cuisine.

Conceptually, the restaurant is a very
welcome addition to the meager selection of
flavors in Catemaco.

On our recent visit we were pleasantly
surprised at the quality of the food served,
and just as surprised that the hotel has
retained its inadequate previous staff and
management.

We entered at 1:30 in the afternoon, chose
patio seating, which allows smoking, and
were promptly offered breakfast menus. 5
minutes later we received the full menu,
which is replete with choices never before
seen in Catemaco, offering a welcome
variety of untypical salads, and main dishes
ranging from rabbit stews to fried trout and
the customary Paella Valenciana.

My partner ordered a succulent fresh flaky
snook filet (Lomo de Robalo, served with
scalloped potatoes (120 pesos). I ordered
the pepper filet, (Solomillo a las tres
Pimientas) and received an excellent, good
size filet, cooked medium without being
asked, and served with dried out baked
tomatoes and buttery boiled vegetables al
diente. (110 pesos). Unfortunately the food
presentation on a bare tile topped table
without place mats, with cutlery wrapped in
a napkin, did not do justice to the prices.(To
be fair, at a later hour, the tables were
prepared with proper table settings)

The name La Rioja, stems from the wine
country in northern Spain, and may come
from the Basque language meaning "Land
of Bread", which obviously never included
tortillas which were served with our meals.

Although the menu offers several tantalizing
desserts, we had to settle for a delicious
cheese flan, because the other items had
not yet been prepared.

The lunch ended on a sour note. As is so
frequent in the hotel, the credit card
machine was not functioning and we had to
scramble for cash to pay the 400 peso bill.

The restaurant is located on the ground
floor of the Hotel Catemaco, directly across
from the central plaza. Hours are 7 am to 11
pm. Boring common breakfast is offered
with egg dishes starting at 70 pesos. The
restaurant also has an adequate wine list
but stupidly serves no wine by the glass.

Our 5 star rating, based on Catemaco
restaurants, not the Michelin Guide:
3+ stars for food, 1 star for service, 1 star
for breakfast (which makes it one of the 3
best in Catemaco.
English
Comment from my good
friend, the Fool on the Hill

My elderly wife’s birthday was celebrated
at Rioja by..... 6 ½ people. Anticipating the
holiday rush, I reserved two tables for 1:30
p. m. in the outdoor patio. During our 3 ½
hour stay there were a total of two other
diners outside and five inside. We arrived
ten minutes early to find our tables waiting
as promised; complete with linen table
cloths and napkins, and wine glasses. The
glasses, though not on a par with those
used at the most elegant La Casa de Los
Tesoros, were a vast improvement over the
dinky little ones previously found at H.
Catemaco. Said glasses, however, are
apparently in short supply as when we
ordered our second bottle of wine and the
glasses were appropriated replaced with
clean ones, the replacements were of a
short, squat variety more appropriate for
dessert wine. Proper wine etiquette was
practiced with the exception that I was not
shown the bottle and label prior to serving.
The label was in fact obscured by a white
linen napkin wrapping the bottle; serving no
practical purpose and resulting in a white
napkin unappetizingly stained by vino tinto.
Both wines (Chateu Arnanton and Reserve
Camenere) were pleasant, though
somewhat over priced – at least in
comparison with the wino-friendly prices at
La Casa de . . . (Example: Casillero del
Diablo ½ bottle at Casa de: $ 170, full bottle
at Rioja: $ 490. Do the math.)

Following the consistently sage advice of
my friend and mentor, Don Gordo – ooops,
Don Gringo, I opted for the Solomillo de las
Tres Pimientas (pepper steak or steak au
poivre). It was excellent. Though not asked,
I specified rare, and it was cooked to
perfection. XX had the Lomo de Robablo,
also recommended by Don Gringo, and it
was excellent as well. XX  was not pleased
with the Paella and the remainder of main
courses were met with varying degrees of
approval. The Crèma de Cangrejo was a
disappointment to all who sampled it; the
flavor of cangrejo completely masking all
else. And, the Profiteroles bore not the
faintest resemblance in taste or appearance
to any that I have immensely enjoyed at
several choice Italian restaurants in
Veracruz, Cordoba and Puebla.

The service was very good until it was time
for the check. I had to ask twice and we still
waited over 20 minutes. When it did arrive,
there was an error of over $ 200 pesos in
favor, of course, of the restaurant. This
was quickly acknowledged, corrected and
apologized for.

Overall, I was pleased and will definitely
return to try other dishes. Lamentably,
considering local epicurean tastes, I do not
see a bright future in store for Rioja.

Total check (corrected) with $ 300 pesos
tip: $ 2,503. Fortunately, my wife has but
one birthday a year. Next year I am
considering reservations at Mangos’. (Or is
that Mingos’?)

Feliz Año Nuevo!
La Casa de Los Tesoros
Artesanías  / Mexican arts & crafts
Catemaco, Veracruz, México